


Mother knows best

by heylu99



Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: Camilla's mother is shitty, Coping, Emotional Manipulation, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Fire Emblem Fates: Birthright Spoilers, King Leon | Leo, Mother-Daughter Relationship, Originally Posted on Tumblr, Other, camilla centric, the only reason I will accept Camilla is not queen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-23
Updated: 2017-07-23
Packaged: 2018-12-05 20:58:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 926
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11586066
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/heylu99/pseuds/heylu99
Summary: Norh has lost the war, the King, the Crown Prince and a princess. Camilla has lost almost her whole family and her emotional control is shattered. She must wear Norh's crown but she still has her own ghosts haunting her. How can someone who has never known peace give it to a whole kingdom?





	Mother knows best

Camilla looked at her axes alone in her rooms.

She was back again in Nohr’s castle of Krakenburg, off her armour and her aggressive maternal persona. That made her feel week and vulnerable, that’s why Beruka and Selena were outside making sure no one bothered the Eldest Princess.

Her legs crossed, her hair in a braid and her hands under her chin, she looked at her weapons.

_Xander is dead. Elise is dead. Father is dead. Iago is dead. Such a beautiful trail of corpses for the peaceful and benevolent Hoshidan army._

Not like she was going to miss Iago. Or Hans. But she was indeed longing her little sister, always smiling and trying harder to fulfil her goals. And Xander, her older and far more suited for the crown brother.

_And father…_

He had been crazed by that demon, Anankos. But first he had been defeated by the ruling of a country with no resources and a complete lack of support. What would have been if Garon had ruled over Hoshido instead of Nohr? Those innocent persons believing Nohrians were the big bad wolf, would they talk of her father as they talked if he had been blessed with the sunny and prosperous land of Hoshido?

Would they talk about her like that?

Because she was alone too, she was desperate too, she was letting her mental defences take over her own will. That time when she told Corrin that was going to take her home, that she had been a nasty girl… she was breaking, letting her anguish and anger rule her. But no one noticed. And no one would notice her fear and weakness if the crown turned her insane.

Like the whole castle of Krakenburg did. Like her mother did.

‘ _My dear_ ’ she would say when they were alone _‘do not cry. It shows weakness, and you know what happens to the weak here. They get killed the first._ ’

‘ _Do not challenge someone unless you are sure to be on the winning side. It’s stupid and you know what happens to the stupid here. But you have to learn your lesson, so tonight you shall have no dinner. Next time, you’ll know better than losing and having your pride taken in front of the entire castle.’_

‘ _Make yourself pretty, your beauty and body are weapons. Envy, desire, lust… learn to incite the people around you to love you or hate you. Control them. You don’t have to want that attention. You just have to know what to do with it.’_

‘ _Be courteous, but not gentle. A calm enemy inspires more fear than a furious one. Control your emotions kid, or they will take over you.’_

 

_What was I supposed to do with that legacy? To ignore it, and with it the only person who loved me back then? Well, that last statement isn’t really true. But then, what should I have done? To teach myself how to survive, like I did after her death?_

Now she was powerful, feared and desired. But because of what she showed. All wanted the warrior seductress, but who would want the messed up girl?

_Well, everyone does it. If not look at the second prince of Hoshido: so messed up even when raised in a loving, caring and good family. Xander hid his fears too. And Leo openly struggles with this._

‘ _But Elise didn’t’_ said a little voice in her head. ' _Nor Corrin.'_

 _Elise was too good for this world. She was an angel, my little angel who lighted my life. She would had been the queen Nohr needs_.

' _And Corrin?'_ the voice asked ' _She is a Nohrian princess too, older than Leo_.'

' _She was a ungrateful bastard. A stupid kid, too sheltered to even grasp the truth. Now all Hoshidans will be happy with Nohrians forever and ever. Just that there will be no Nohrians, we will have died in little time because of our lack of nourishment. NOTHING GROWS HERE. NOTHING CAN BE CATCHED HERE. THAT’S WHY WE HAD TO INVADE HOSHIDO, BECAUSE LEFT ALONE WE WOULD DIE.'_

Suddenly she stopped, realising the hatred her voice carried.

 _'I cannot be queen'_ she said softly, _'I’m too much damaged, too much unstable. I would become another Garon. But I won’t ever let that little bitch commanding my people.'_

She inhaled the cold air that came through the window.

_'Leo must be. He is damaged too, envious and unstable, but less than me. And he does get better in managing his emotions and insecurities. He doesn’t run and hide, he runs but to evaluate and do it better next time'_

She smiled at last. _'My baby brother is fit to be a wise king.'_

_'Which is the king Nohr needs, more even than the optimistic and wilful queen Elise would have made. A wise king to plan a better future for those who live in darkness and shadow, a future in which we don’t have to be always fighting and defending ourselves to survive. A path distinct than the sword.'_

She got up, loosened her hair and put her armour on. She was happy to have arrived to that wonderful decision.

‘ _Besides,_ _’_ her mother’s voice said in her head, insidious. _‘he’s the one to wield Brynhild, like Xander wielded Siegfried. You have no mystical weapon to help you. And really, better try to seduce that prince Ryoma. He surely will fall and you will not need to work or fight in your life ever again… It’s not like you know any other thing, my dear daughter.’_

**Author's Note:**

> I liked the idea of Camilla as being traumatized by her mother and having little self esteem, but masking it all with a maternal personna and going ok with it. In Birthright she seemed crazy in some scenes, which is something she doesn't keep in the Conquest Route. In special, the hypersexualized video she has before a battle. She's just creepy. So I tried to justify it or at least explain it.


End file.
